Rachael & Lloyd got married on the 14th August 2017 in stunning Ravello, Italy. They had their Ceremony in a beautiful garden setting, and their Reception in a luxurious private villa.
Where did you both meet?
We met in Rio in Brazil in August 2010 when we were both traveling. Then Lloyd moved to London to live with me 6 months later (he’s from Cardiff)
Tell us about the Proposal?
Lloyd proposed to me the day we moved into the first house we bought together. We had no floors in our house yet, and he wrote ‘will you marry me?’ in marker pen up the stairs
Why did you choose Ravello as a wedding destination?
We picked Ravello because my Mum had been to the area and recommended it and the pictures looked lovely!
Did the venue meet your expectations?
The venue was beautiful and we were really happy with how it looked and how attentive the staff were on the day. The food & wine was particularly good and many people commented on how lovely the wine and food was!
What was most important to you both for your wedding day?
The music and the flowers were the most important thing about the day to us (and the atmosphere and keeping the guests happy of course)
Tell us about your theme?
The theme was romantic – I wore an Italian designed dress with lace and the bridesmaids had dusky pink lace dresses. The flowers were light pink roses and hydrangeas with lots of gypsophilia on the tables and in the bridesmaids hair.
Did you do anything special with your guests leading up to your wedding day?
We kept it quite casual with plans before the wedding, about 8 girls went on a boat trip to Positano the day before. There were 41 guests in total and we spent some time with our guests in Ravello around the square in different bars and restaurants on the days leading up to the wedding and afterwards. About 20 of us stayed in Villa Rosa in a few villas. Most the guests met in a pizzeria in Atrani the day after then stayed on the beach which was perfect. Nine of us went on a small private boat around Capri two days after the wedding and swam in he sea which was unforgettable! Me and Lloyd went to Rome then Venice on our honeymoon.
What was your favourite part of the day?
My favourite part of the day was listening to the live music with some wine before the wedding breakfast looking at the view from the private villa.
What advice would you give to other couples having a destination wedding?
I’d say the pre-wedding meeting is really helpful, and use Ionian Weddings timeline /to do list. In Ravello if i had done it again I would have stayed on the square (we stayed a few km away down the coast and it was difficult to get to the square). Wedding traditions in Italy are slightly different, so make sure if you want things like being announced into the wedding reception or having your first dance announced, to make your planner aware of this.
Getting married abroad is an amazing way to get lots of your family and friends together on a holiday – we made so many brilliant memories. In Ravello it’s easy to plan trips when your already there e.g. boats around the coast.
Sarah & Sam’s Sorrento Wedding
Sarah & Sam got married on the 2nd August 2017 at the beautiful Sorrento Cloisters and Lemon Garden
How did you both meet?
Our mutual friend decided to do a bit of match-making and set us both up on a date. I was working on a music project with our friend at the time and Sam knew him through a friendship group at University. This was back in 2009 and the rest is history!
Tell us about the Proposal?
Myself and Sam discussed an engagement for a few years but due to studying and saving for a house we took our time. Sam then surprised me with a proposal at our favourite local woodland park, Haigh Hall. Sam had updated our scrap book (with the help of our artistic friend!) with photos and added a page with ‘marry me’. Sadly, it did pour down with rain but it didn’t ruin the moment!
What attracted you to Sorrento as a wedding destination?
I think our soggy proposal was enough to tempt us into a destination wedding! We have always felt a close affinity with Italy due to my passion for art and our shared interest in the culture and history. We visited Sorrento in 2013, we loved the old cobbled streets and how authentic it was. There are also so many beautiful nearby towns like Positano and Ravello. We felt that our guests would have plenty to see on their holiday and I knew Sorrento would offer an intimate and relaxed environment for our big day.
Did the venue meet your expectations?
The wedding venue’s exceeded all of our expectations, including our guests. The Cloisters is the perfect setting, bringing an authentic Italian feel to our wedding whilst allowing us to have a civil ceremony. The Lemon Garden added the perfect touch to our wedding. We were surrounded by lemon trees and fairy lights and had oil lamps lit at the entrance to our part of the restaurant. The food was A la Carte and guests enjoyed being able to choose their own food off the menu. The dessert was a traditional lemon cake and this added a lovely touch to our wedding theme.
Tell us about the theme of your wedding day?
Our wedding was lemon themed! We had grey and navy suits with navy bridesmaids and had lemon yellow roses and babies breath in our bouquets. We kept decor to a minimum as the restaurant and the cloisters required very little else! We wanted to keep some things traditional like the favours, so we had the Italian sugared almonds.
What was most important for you both for your wedding day?
The most important thing for us on our wedding day was to make sure we enjoyed our moment and lived in that moment. We made time throughout the day to be together.
Did you do anything special with your guests leading up to your wedding day?
We had a great send off in the UK, visiting Chester and Manchester for our Hen and stag do’s. We did lots of Bollywood dancing, go-karting and lounging in hot tubs! There was also lots of limencello drinking to get in the spirit! Whilst in Italy we had a meal in the hotel the evening before.
What was your favourite moment from the day?
We had several favourite moments… one of our favourites was going for a horse and carriage ride after the drinks reception. The people on the streets where shouting and waving at us as we passed them! We also loved our photoshoot in the centre of Sorrento.
What advice would you give to other couples thinking of getting married abroad?
Our advice to any one thinking of marrying abroad would be to go for it. Don’t doubt your decision, it is the best thing we ever did and we have no regrets. We had the most memorable wedding and an amazing family holiday. The weather was beautiful and it brought our whole family together being in such a special place.
Laura & Paul’s Rhodes Wedding
Laura & Paul had a gorgeous, relaxed beach wedding on Lindos Beach in Rhodes, Greece, on the 4th August 2017
How did you both meet?
We met both working at the same school in 2010. I was the reception teacher and Paul was a teaching assistant in the juniors, we didn’t really speak much at first, just the occasional “Hi” walking through the hall. Paul then left in the July to go and train to be a teacher.
At Christmas he came to our Christmas do and that’s when we started to chat and continued to message each other until another works night out in June 2012, when we started to date.
Tell us about the Proposal?
As part of my Christmas present in 2015 Paul had booked us into Crabwall Manor in Chester on New Years Day. We spent the day having afternoon tea and enjoying the hotel spa.
In the evening we went into Chester for a meal and on the way back to the car we walked by the Cathedral, which had fairy lights all over the trees and Paul got down on one knee in the pouring rain! Obviously the answer was yes! What a great start to 2016 that was!
What attracted you to Rhodes as a wedding destination?
In 2010 I went to my cousins wedding on Cameo Island organised by Ionian Weddings and knew from then I would love a destination wedding. Once we were engaged Paul really was keen on a beach wedding. We both absolutely love being on holiday. We started to look on Ionian Weddings website, as you came highly recommended, knowing we wanted a ceremony on the beach.
A couple we know had recently come back from Rhodes and told us how lovely it was. So yourLindos Beach Wedding ticked every box. We also heard nothing but great things about the town of Lindos, a stunning village with something for everyone. We could not have picked a better venue.
Did the venue meet your expectations?
Yes it was amazing. Everything about it was perfect. The setting and colours of the sea were stunning. The hotel was gorgeous and the staff were absolutely fantastic. They could not do enough for us and were very helpful to our guests with dietary requirements. The food at the reception was delicious and my family, who love good food, were saying things like “Best wedding food I’ve ever had” and “Had two plates full, it’s so good!” We did not want the day/evening to end. The whole experience was more than we could have wished for and provided us and our guests with some fabulous memories to treasure.
What was most important to you both for your wedding day?
Obviously marrying each other was the most important part but apart from that it was about having the family and friends we spend most of our time with there with us and that everyone felt relaxed and had a good time.
Tell us about the theme of your wedding day?
For our wedding we went very much with a beach theme, we had quite relaxed wedding outfits from my dress, bridesmaid dresses and men’s outfits. I knew I wanted a floaty, lightweight dress to fit the setting, I fell in love with the dress as it had a Grecian style to it and the back was a major selling point.
For the men we wanted linen trousers in pale grey and collarless shirts, so no need for ties, they also wore Toms rather than shoes. The colour of the bridesmaid dresses is called ‘coastal’ so straight away fit with our theme and what a gorgeous colour it was against that backdrop!
We had many other beach touches to our wedding with fans, sunglasses, shells, pebbles, message in a bottle name paces and slogan parasols.
Did you do anything special with your guests leading up to your wedding?
We tried to spend time with all the guests throughout their time in Rhodes doing different things, from fun in the pool, to climbing up the Acropolis and touring the Island. As a big group we went for a night out a few days before the wedding once everyone had arrived, Lindos was a good night out. Then the night after the wedding with people were still in Lindos we all went for a meal.
What was your favourite moment from the day?
It is very hard to pick a favourite moment as there are so many. From walking down the aisle and seeing each other and saying our vows in front of that amazing backdrop to the fabulous comments we got from our guests about our fantastic choice of venue.
One moment that will stick in my mind is dancing, rather than walking, back down the aisle with our bridesmaids and groom’s men behind us to Ed Sheeran and Christina Perri, Be My Forever. We decided we wanted an upbeat, beach style song to end the ceremony.
What advice would you give other couples thinking of having a wedding abroad?
Do it! It is the most amazing experience. You get to celebrate your wedding for more than just a day. You can enjoy the build up with your guest and continue celebrating afterwards too. It’s a fantastic holiday altogether as well as a wedding. Also having your wedding abroad is also so much more relaxed and stress free.
The whole atmosphere is calm and peaceful. You don’t get a setting like this anywhere in the UK with the guaranteed weather too for brilliant photos. Honestly is the best decision we made, our friends and family are still all talking about what a great time they had and want us all to go back for our 5 year anniversary. So getting married abroad provides fabulous memories for everyone not just the bride and groom.
Amy & Oliver’s Positano Wedding
Amy and Oliver got married on the 16th June 2017 at the Positano Town Hall and had a beautiful Sea View Reception
How did you both meet?
We were teenage sweethearts – met in 2007 and married in 2017!
What attracted you to Positano as a wedding destination?
We love Italy for the beautiful food, the gorgeous weather and the breathtaking views. Initially we considered Sorrento but were taken aback by how quaint and lovely Positano was and once we saw the Palazzo Murat we knew it was the place we had to have our special day – traditional Italy at its best.
What was important to you about your wedding day?
We were so happy that we got to spend the day in such a beautiful place with all of our loved ones. Ionian Weddings has everything planned to a tee which meant we could all relax and enjoy ourselves. The photographer Mark from Valentina Weddings was amazing and the photographs are something we will treasure forever.
Tell us about your favourite moment from the wedding?
We Couldn’t possibly choose – the Town Hall was the most stunning location for the ceremony and really took everyone’s breath away, then when we went down to where our table was set for our meal we were so amazed at what the hotel had done – better than we could ever have imagined.
Tell us about your experience with Ionian Weddings?
I wouldn’t change a single thing about our day and it was all down to the hard work of Ionian Weddings. Jane was there every step of the organisation process making it stress free and super easy for us. Couldn’t have asked for more.
What would you say to a couple considering a wedding in Italy?
If you want a day that you will never forget and to create memories with the people closed to you that will last a lifetime get married in Italy.
James & Claire’s Santorini Wedding
James & Claire got married at the stunning Santorini Winery & Vineyard on the 12th June 2017. Here is look at their love story!
How did you both meet?
It all started 15 years ago!
I was 17 and James was 20. I was with my friend who had just passed her driving test and we were cruising around South Shields sea front in her first car.
Where we are from, this is something that the young ones do. Casually driving around and going to car meets. I met James in South Shields where we continued to meet up with friends and then finally started dating. Who would think that 15 years later we would be married and owning our second home together with our 6-year-old dog Molly!
How did James propose?
After years of hoping that one day I’d get to wear that dress that every girl dreams of, in 2014 myself and James booked a trip to New York! New York was always on our bucket list, so we made the plans and off we went. We had talked about getting married but it was always just “one day”.
Five days into our trip we had already visited the usual hot spots, Empire State, Top of the Rock, so we decided to book a sunset river cruise along the River Hudson.
Now for anyone that knows my husband they will describe James in two words – “laid back”.
I was not expecting what came next! We were again “cruising” along the River Hudson, this time on a boat not in a car, and James casually says to me “what do you fancy doing tomorrow then, how about we go shopping? We’ve not been to the shops over here yet. How about we buy you that ring you’ve wanted!”
This was said in such a casual way, as James does, that It took me a while and a couple of questions to understand what he meant!
He then asked me the big question I’d been longing to hear for so many years, and of course I said YES!!! We celebrated on the boat as we sailed up the Hudson under Brooklyn Bridge with the biggest smile on our faces. We kept this quiet for the whole trip and didn’t tell our families until we got back to the UK.
The following day, as James promised, we went shopping for the ring and boy was this overwhelming. For anyone that has been along the Diamond District in NYC, you will know what I mean. Diamonds everywhere and I mean everywhere.
Finally, we found the ring and I still can’t stop looking at it to this day!
Why did you choose to get married in Santorini?
Our love of Greece is what attracted us to Santorini, it was an Island that we had never been to before. In June 2016, we visited Santorini for one week.
We hired a car and toured the whole Island, the breath-taking views are what made us fall in love with the island.
At this point we had already booked our venues, so we decided to go to the sunset wine tasting at Santo Winery and booked a meal at Pyrgos Restaurant beforehand. Both venues are amazing, they have the most beautiful surroundings and views. We couldn’t wait for June 2017.
The most important thing for us on our wedding day was having our close family and friends with us. We always wanted a small and intimate wedding, the details never really mattered too much to us. The venues and views were simply enough.
Tell us about the theme for your wedding?
We choose a vintage theme for our wedding and my now Mother in law Linda played a very special part in making our invites and some of the decorations for our wedding.
The night before our wedding we decided to ask all of our family and friends to a pre-wedding meal. We ate Greek food and listened to live Greek music.
What was your favourite moment of the day?
Saying “I DO” was my favourite moment of the day and also seeing my now Husband Greek dancing as he never dances. He was so into it and so were all of our family and friends.
It was perfect from start to finish, everything we could have imagined and more.
Do you have any tips for couples thinking of getting married abroad?
Our advice to any couples thinking about getting married abroad would be to use Ionian Weddings. The whole experience from start to finish was flawless and completely stress free. From our first contact to meeting our co-ordinators on the Island we couldn’t have asked for anything more from them. Always on hand to answer any questions or uncertainties that we had. If we could do it all over again we definitely would.
Carolyn & Grant’s Kefalonia Wedding
Carolyn & Grant got married on the 3rd June 2017 on the beautiful, lush island of Kefalonia, here is a look at their amazing story!
How did you both meet?
We met all the way back in 2010, in a bar called the Freemasons in Brighton. It was the May bank holiday and my friends and I were in full party mode. Grant however, was nursing a slight hangover!
I remember clocking Grant immediately as he walked across the road to the bar but I was far too shy to talk to him. Nevertheless, you can always rely on your friends to embarrass you and my friend Carly didn’t take long in approaching him and giving him my number! But thank goodness she did!
Tell us about the proposal?
Ah, such special memory! Grant proposed on New Year’s Day which is such a lovely anniversary to have at the start of ever year. He completely threw me off the scent, as I thought something funny was going on when we were having this very romantic meal on New Year’s Eve, but on the count down to the New Year (anticipation building) I had gotten it completely wrong! The next day, still slightly full and hungover, Grant told me we were off for a walk (I wasn’t overly keen I have to admit). We arrived at a beautiful place called Scotney Castle, which was in the most stunning grounds. Wearing completely the wrong shoes for walking, we slowly wandered round. The castle was situated next to an idyllic lake. As we meandered over the bridge to get some photos I turned round to find Grant on one knee. No one was around and I was in complete shock! It was perfect! I was so excited that I said yes even before Grant had the chance to ask me the question.
What attracted you to Kefalonia as a wedding destination?
We love Greece and have been many times to different islands; Kefalonia however, was the first place we went on holiday together all those years back. So, the island holds very special memories for us. It’s a beautiful island and we knew we wanted to get married on the beach and of course for the weather to be hot and sunny. When we discovered we could marry at Antisamos beach we couldn’t believe it! It’s the most stunning beach set in the mountains with crystal clear water. We talked about that beach many times since we first went there and to see all the plans unfold for our dream wedding was amazing. Planning the wedding in a place we had already been made the process less overwhelming, as we already had a fairly good knowledge of the island. Meaning we could advise and help our guests prior to the wedding.
Did the venue meet your expectations?
Without a doubt yes! To have a unique venue with such breath taking views all to ourselves was incredible. The beach bar had changed quite a bit since we last saw it in 2011, but not in a bad way as it was even more amazing! They had since built a really cute Hawaiian bar closer to the beach which was the central gathering point at our wedding. We had our dinner under a gorgeous pergola within the garden and a flower arch right at the end of the cobbled path which met the pebbles on the beach. It really was perfect, especially with all the decorations!
What was most important to you both for your wedding day?
In no particular order, the food, the music, the atmosphere. Sounds very obvious, but for us, getting the simple things right was everything. To create a warm, authentic and relaxed atmosphere (with great food and drink!) was our main aim. We had the beautiful location and an amazing guest list already, the rest came down to focusing on those essential details that make the day special – things that can easily be overlooked or underestimated.
Tell us about the theme for your wedding day?
I guess overall we cherry picked from a lot of initial research. Grant and I came at the process from different directions but we ended up liking the same things. I spent hours pinning pictures on Pinterest of how I wanted it to look and feel, and he focused more on summer dress codes (he works in men’s fashion industry) and the overall Mediterranean style – and how we could achieve it on the day.
Predominantly, the notion of a rustic beach wedding with a touch of bohemian style was the original inspiration. Simple and elegant (with authentic Greek food).
Key colours were white, dusty pink and olive green. Against the blues of the sea and the hilly backdrop the colours really worked.
To try to sum up the style or theme is quite tricky, but looking at it all now in hindsight (once you add in the dress code of the guests too) I would say “relaxed Mediterranean glamour” – a phrase my husband just conjured up. Once guests started arriving, looking amazingly chic, it kind of elevated the whole thing.
All those people travelling all that way for us, we wanted a feeling of real togetherness. Most importantly, we wanted the day and evening to feel social and relaxed. With great conversations over dinner and unlikely friendships popping up all over the place.
Did you do anything special with your Guests leading up to your wedding day?
We were lucky as most of our guests arrived three or four days before the wedding, which gave us plenty of time to greet everyone and get excited, whilst still preparing for the wedding. Two days before the wedding we both had a mini hen and stag evening in Sami which was really fun! However, by the end of the night and with the town being relatively small we ended up all coming together. It was great! The day before our Antisamos wedding, we actually got married legally in Agia Effimia town hall. It was great as it felt like we had two weddings. After making it legal we went for an amazing lunch at a garden terrace restaurant overlooking the sea.
The day after our wedding, we continued to celebrate by having a barbecue at our villa. It gave everyone the chance to relax by the pool and reminisce about the day!
What was your favourite moment from the day?
Gosh it’s so hard to pick as the whole day was just magical from start to finish. But if I had to pick one it would be walking down the aisle! There really is no feeling quite like it. Seeing all my family and friends together on the most beautiful beach was just incredible. I just remember seeing an explosion of colour as I walked down the aisle, everyone looked so glamorous and happy. All the months of planning and decision-making seemed completely insignificant at that point and all you feel is pure love! That moment of seeing Grant and turning round to see all the guests and venue decorated and finished will always stay with me.
What advice would you give to other couples thinking of getting married abroad?
A couple of things I guess. Firstly (if you can), have a pre visit to your location. I can’t tell you how much difference it made to us feeling relaxed and prepared before the actual day. It allowed us the time to re-familiarise ourselves with the island, practise the drive from the airport, find our villa, check out bars, other towns and restaurants – and of course to see the venue and meet the wedding team! It was the most productive four days and we just couldn’t have done all that in the same week as the wedding!
Secondly, Relax! Sounds silly I know as it’s very hard to do that when planning a wedding, let alone one abroad. From going through the process I learnt that I really didn’t need to spend hours worrying about the logistics of the day or if tables and chairs were going to arrive. Everyone knows exactly what they are doing and everything ran seamlessly. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, it just added to the whole experience!
Anja & Jamie Cyprus Wedding
Anja & Jamie got married in Cyprus on the 30th June 2017 at the beautiful & traditional Cyprus Inn. Here is a look at their amazing day…
How did you both meet?
We met at work. We were friends for a few years then went to a festival together in 2007 and were inseparable ever since!
Tell us about the proposal?
Jamie proposed in Scotland on Valentine’s Day in 2009
What attracted you to Cyprus as a wedding destination?
Friends of ours got married on Cyprus and we loved it
Did the venue meet your expectations?
Wow the venue was everything that we dreamed of and much more. it was everything I’d imagined!
What was most important to you both for your wedding day?
We wanted the day to be relaxed and enjoyed by everyone
Tell us about the theme for your wedding day?
The theme was quite rustic & a little vintage
Did you do anything special with your Guests leading up to your wedding day?
We had a lovely BBQ at the villa we stayed in for our close family a few days before the wedding. All our friends were together in a hotel so they were enjoying the run up to the wedding all together along with their children
What was your favourite moment from the day?
I loved absolutely everything about that day! Honestly everything was absolutely perfect!
The one thing that was lovely was the 5 minutes we took to stand back and just look at all our loved ones that flew out with us to share our special day. It was lovely to see the venue so beautifully decorated just as I had asked and looking at everyone smiling!!!!! We took 5 minutes to stand back and take it all in. it was magical ?
What advice would you give to other couples thinking of getting married abroad?
Always go with your gut and if you want to get married abroad, just go for it! After all it’s your day and it should be just how you want it. We loved the whole vibe of being abroad… it was amazing… go for it it’s amazing !!!
Ionian Weddings are just fab and worth every single penny! I wouldn’t change a thing from my wedding day!!! Not one thing
Gemma & Stefan’s Santorini Wedding
Gemma & Stefan had a beautiful Santorini wedding on the 4th May 2017…
How did you both meet?
I was on a football team night out in Cambridge and we met in a nightclub called Ballare
Tell us about the proposal?
There is one place in this whole world that means the world to me, that is Giardini Naxos in Sicily. We have a family home there and try go back every year. When I decided to ask Gemma to marry me In the summer of 2013 there was only going to be one place I would propose. As a family we have been going Lido di Naxos beach for three generations. That night we went for a meal at the beach restaurant, whilst waiting for a our food I asked Gemma to come take a walk with me down to the water, I don’t think she realised at this point I was sweating profusely. And now the rest is history.
Why did you choose Santorini?
Originally we wanted to get married in Sicily on the beach (and to be honest we always said we would get married on the beach.) Until we found Ionian Weddings!
Tell us about the theme for your wedding?
Gemma, my wife, loves pink and silver. There was never going to be any other colours!
Where was your wedding dress from?
Burr Bridal in Cambridge
Did you do anything special leading up to your wedding with your guests?
When we decided we were getting married abroad I had the painful task of choosing the best possible hotels to accommodate most, if not all, for immediate family and myself, Gemma and our two boys. I booked Villa Rose in Fira. We took every room in the hotel and it was just perfect! We spent almost every night with family and friends, going out for great meals. I am an extremely family orientated person and so are my boys, so this was perfect and made our build up so special. I also booked Gemma to stay with her bridesmaids in Fira White Residence for the night before our wedding so she got to wake up to this on the most important day of our lives. So to sum it up nothing in particular stands out as being special before, as everything was perfect.
What was the best thing about your wedding?
Being engaged for so long to the love of my life and having two beautiful children, we had the perfect little family, and for me the best thing about the wedding was when the music came on as she walked down the aisle and at that point my life was complete.
Do you have any tips for couples thinking of having a destination wedding?
When me and my Wife decided we were getting married abroad we had the painful process of not knowing where to start. We had no idea how to plan it or even the country we wanted to get married in. After searching and contacting several wedding planning companies we came across Ionian, and all I can say is WOW. We booked our first meeting with Anna in the London office who talked us through everything and took all of our worries away, we finally settled on Santorini and once again WOW. So the planning began. Anna made everything so easy and we can’t thank her enough. Closer to the wedding we were then passed over to Sofia who is part of the local team and once again WOW. She sorted all of the final touches and took all of our remaining worries away thank you so much.
Then finally two weeks before our big day we were passed over to Yannis who is the local wedding planner in Santorini and I don’t even have words to express the happiness he brought to me and my wife. We arrived in Santorini on Sunday and met with Yannis on the Monday to go and view the venue and from there every little detail was planned to a high standard. He stayed for a majority of our day and night helping with anything asked of him. To sum up, Santorini is an amazing country to be married in and I cannot speak highly enough of Ionian as a company. The venue we had for both ceremony and reception was Santorini Gem and what an amazing choice. From myself and my wife Mrs Beer Thank you thank you thank you to everyone involved on making our dream wedding come true.
Jackie & Mark’s Kefalonia Wedding
Jackie & Mark got married on the beautiful, lush island of Kefalonia on the 14th June 2017. They had their Ceremony at the Asos Chapel and a Greek Taverna Reception
How did you both meet?
We were introduced by mutual friends on a blind date on the opening evening of their new nightclub in May 2012.
Tell us about the proposal?
We were getting ready to go out for a meal to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary. Mark called out from the living room that he and something for me to wear that night. I said “ What is it?” And he said “ Well come and look”. When I got to the living room, he was down on one knee and opened the ring box and asked me to marry him. I had to redo my makeup before we went out as was crying so much!
What attracted you to Kefalonia as a wedding destination?
A few weeks after our engagement we visited Kefalonia for the first time. We completely fell in love with the place and in particular the people and decided on the way to the airport on the way home that we wanted to get married there.
Did the venue meet your expectations?
100%- Absolutely stunning. The location, the views, everything. We had revisited the venue the year before too, but was extra special with all the wedding trimmings, guests and a real bonus that we got to go in the beautiful chapel afterwards for photographs.
What was most important to you both for your wedding day?
That the day ran smoothly and as we had imagined. It totally exceeded all expectations, beyond our wildest dreams.
Where was your beautiful wedding dress from?
Confetti & Lace at Lakeside, Essex
Did you do anything special with your guests leading up to the wedding?
We all went out for a pre wedding meal. (And we had been celebrating everyone’s arrival with cocktails at the pool bar of our hotel)
What was your favourite moment of the day?
We absolutely loved it all, so simply cannot choose just one it was ALL amazing. Like a fairytale from start to finish.
What advice would you give to other couples thinking of getting married abroad?
Without a doubt, contact Ionian Weddings. You will NOT be disappointed. ❤️ We cannot find enough words to thank all the team for everything they did to ensure that our day was beyond perfect ❤️ We want to do it again! ❤️
Paul & Marie’s Dubrovnik Wedding
We love our Couples’ love stories! Paul & Marie got married on the 27th May 2017 in stunning Croatia. They had their ceremony in the Palm Gardens on Lokrum Island, and their reception in the renowned Restaurant Dubrovnik.
How did you both meet?
Thinking back, we were so young! At 18, and fresh out of finishing our A level exams, both of us were letting our hair down on a night out with friends at the local night club. Neither of us knew each other, but I can say, I think it was love at first sight for me. We spotted each other through the crowds on the dance floor. Paul took the courage (or should I say took a bet from his friend) to come talk to me and buy me a drink at the bar. We hit it off straight away, exchanged numbers, and here we are 9 years later as husband and wife.
It was Christmas day in 2015, and we had our family over for a christmas breakfast. Paul made a gorgeous breakfast with homemade brioche, pastries and smoked salmon, then we all sat around the tree and exchanged gifts. Paul passed me a little square box, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. What was going on, I thought? I opened the box to find a pair of diamond earrings. He asked me, ‘Do you recognise the diamonds?’ …. ‘No’ i said… and with that Paul said ‘They are from your late Grandad’s ring’. welling up by now, I thought it was a wonderful way to transform my precious Grandad’s ring he had left for me. The surprise was taken to the next level when Paul got down on to one knee and opened up the engagement ring box. The third diamond from my Grandad’s ring was used to make my beautiful engagement ring. I had mentioned to him a while ago in passing conversation that my grandad’s ring only fitted on my ring finger, and it was a bit old-fashioned in style for me to wear. Paul remembered where I kept it hidden and took the ring to the jeweller to design everything. proposing in the home we saved so hard to buy, surrounded by our loved ones. It was just perfect.
What attracted you to Croatia as a wedding destination?
In the early days of planning our wedding, We both agreed we wanted a outdoors, rustic, relaxed, and nature themed wedding venue. We began by looking at tipi tent weddings in farm land in England. We soon discovered this style of wedding was going to be way out of our budget, so we began thinking outside the box and thought we would have a look at weddings abroad.
That’s when we discovered Ionian Weddings website. Having a look around the destinations, we discovered that they did Croatian wedding venues. We was interested to research more as the previous year we had been on a Sail Croatia holiday and fell in love with the beautiful islands, heritage, people and culture. It was also then in Croatia when he decided he wanted to propose to me! We discovered a venue that had our names written all over it. The Palm Gardens, and Restaurant Dubrovnik was just perfect. We couldn’t have chosen a more perfect destination for our wedding. Croatia has so much to offer. So many beautiful islands to discover, and so much history.
Did the venue meet your expectations?
The venues blew us away. They perfectly reflected us as a couple, and our personalities. The Palm Gardens on Lokrum Island was so magical. The most lush, beautiful, natural setting. Wild rabbits and peacocks just added to the magic of this Island.
We are also huge foodies, and enjoy quality food. Restaurant Dubrovnik went above and beyond our expectations. They was so attentive and friendly. They really made us and our guests feel so welcome and cared for. Not to mention they blew our minds with their incredible passion for serving quality food. What’s more, the Head Chef even came and danced with us in the evening, which was funny. Everyone had so much fun – the DJ said it was the best wedding he has done in a long time because everyone just kept dancing! He even shared this video with us: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdjmirodubrovnik%2Fvideos%2F1904982393091393%2F&show_text=0&width=560
What was most important to you both for your wedding day?
The most important elements was to reflect who we were as a couple. To share with our friends and family why we love Croatia and in particular this magical, historic town. It was also really important to enjoy good food at our reception. I hear that Restaurant Dubrovnik are in the Michelin Guide 2017. Hats off to them, hands down they deserve it. It is probably one of the best restaurants we have been to!
Tell us about the theme of your wedding day?
Our theme was to use as much local produce as possible, but also to hand make as much as possible, so we decided on Olive and Lavender. In Croatia there are an abundance of Olive trees and Lavender growing. In the bride flowers, men’s button holes and bridesmaid bracelets, we used Olive leaves, lavender sprigs and white flowers. At the restaurant we had bowls of olives on the table. We wanted to keep our theme natural, rustic, simple and elegant.
For our table favours, again we kept the produce local. We took our own mini bottles with hessian tops and filled them with a local spirit of ‘Prosek’ for the men. For the girls, we made up mini hessian bags with lavender bath bombs.
We also hand made and designed our menus for each guest and the order of service fans at the ceremony.
Did you do anything special with your guests leading up to the wedding?
We organised a BBQ to be held on Copacabana beach for all of our guests the night before the wedding. We thought it would be a great way to get everyone together the night before. It was a great success, and so special to spend time with our friends and family with good food and a great sunset.
We had also arranged a girls ‘Hen’ night and a boys ‘Stag’ do before the wedding on the Thursday. Marie’s hen do was a sophisticated, calm affair at the Coral beach club, where we wined and dined on the beach watching the sun set. Paul’s stag do however, was a typical lads night out. It was a trip into town to head up the cable car to see views all over the town. (The plan was to have a few beers up there, but due to bad weather they had to come straight back down!) They then all headed town to the Exit Rock Cafe before going to the club in the fort. Let’s just say it got messy from there – before you knew it I heard one of his best men was struggling to stand up in the main Stradun in Dubrovnik, and one of his friends was pretending to play air guitar in the middle of the old town with his top off!
Two days after the wedding, we had also arranged a day boat trip to visit three islands with lunch included. It was the perfect way to relax and unwind with our friends and family after the busy lead up to the day. The scenery is just so gorgeous.
What was your favourite moment of the day?
Wow, it would be way too hard to pick just one moment! Every moment of the day was so so special and memorable. My favourite moment has to be walking down the aisle, arm in arm with my dad with the guy from Croatian Voice playing my aisle song beautifully on acoustic guitar. Everything we had meticulously planned for over a year was really happening in front of my eyes. The way I had imagined it in my mind for so long was perfectly laid out in front of me. When we met at the end of the aisle I think both of us felt so extremely proud, and so elated at what we had achieved. Nothing beats marrying your best of friend and that’s what I am most proud of!
What advice would you give to other couples thinking of getting married abroad?
Firstly, we would 100% recommend any couple to go with Ionian Weddings. Secondly, we would say make sure you give yourself time after the wedding to just unwind as a married couple! Thirdly, if you can, try go out there and see the venues. It’s so helpful to have that memory in your mind of the venues when planning. We have to say, from the day we enquired about a wedding abroad, to the day we got married, we were cared for, and looked after so well. The communication was faultless, and we felt safe knowing our wedding day was in their hands. Anything was possible, and they were always there ready to answer our questions.